Web of Danger (Danger Incorporated Book 11) Read online

  That was true. She’d been unable to commit, doubting herself at every turn.

  “I need to be more decisive,” she said. “I tend to waffle back and forth a bit too much.”

  Frowning, he tilted his head, his gaze resting on her face. “I’m surprised to hear that. You don’t seem the type.”

  She’d known him for only one evening so she wasn’t sure this was the moment to tell him why she was constantly second-guessing herself. It would sound stupid anyway.

  “It’s something I’m working on,” she said instead. “Maybe I’m getting better at it.”

  “I think you are.”

  It was something she’d been actively doing in the last two years. Much to her parents’ chagrin.

  “Cassie, would you like to have lunch with me tomorrow? Or another day if that doesn’t work for you?”

  Her glass had been halfway to her lips when he’d asked the question. For some reason, she was taken aback but when she thought about it she shouldn’t have been. They’d been talking like old friends for a couple of hours now with no end in sight. The conversation flowed so easily, with no weird awkward breaks. She’d had fun, and he clearly enjoyed himself as well. She’d had dates that hadn’t been this nice so it wasn’t surprising that he would want it to continue.

  She realized he was waiting for her to reply. How long had she sat there in silence, her head filled with all the reasons to say yes? And all the reasons she should say no.

  Taking a sip from her wine, she set the glass down on the small table between them.

  “It’s lovely of you to ask, but I don’t think that would be a good idea.”

  She had no clue how he was going to respond to rejection, but the reaction that she received wasn’t one she was expecting. He simply nodded as if her answer was a foregone conclusion.

  “Okay.”

  He didn’t even seem disappointed. She certainly hadn’t crushed his self-esteem. Or perhaps he was simply good at hiding it?

  “It’s not that I don’t like you,” she heard herself saying. “I do. I think you’re a great guy. It’s just I’m at a point in my life where I don’t think it’s a good idea to get involved with anyone. I’m just learning how to be me. My last relationship was an unmitigated disaster and frankly, it hasn’t made me want to jump in again. But then you probably know all about it. It was all over social media and the gossip sites.”

  Just the thought of what had been written about her made her inwardly cringe. It had been awful. Only disappearing from the public eye had made it go away. For the most part. Every now and then someone would bring up the past…

  “Actually, I don’t know anything about it. I’m not really on social media or any gossip sites. However, you don’t owe me any explanations, Cassie. If you don’t want to have lunch with me, that’s fine. I was enjoying our time here and I thought it would be nice to do it again. But that’s just me. And I totally get what you’re saying about not wanting a relationship right now.”

  Her brows rose. “You don’t want one either?”

  Rubbing at his chin, he gave her a wry grin. “My son Henry keeps trying to fix me up with women. Christ, he has me on a dating website. Can you believe that? I’m fine with the way I am, and my life. If I find someone, that’s great. If I don’t, that’s okay too. It’s all good. Henry, on the other hand, thinks that I’m going to grow old and alone after he goes to college.”

  “How old is he?”

  “Just turned eighteen. He’s a senior in high school so he’ll go to university in the fall.”

  She immediately had an image of a much younger but still handsome Ace.

  “And he wants to marry you off before that?”

  It sounded rather sweet and loving. A son worried about his dad being alone.

  “That’s his preference. I know he’s concerned but I keep telling him I’ll be fine. It’s just been me and him for a long time. I don’t want him to not live his life because he thinks that I’ll be lonely. Hell, I’d love to have the chance to be lonely. My whole family lives here in this area, most of us on the property. I couldn’t get lonely if I tried.”

  It wasn’t any of her business, but she found herself asking. Maybe it was the wine loosening her tongue.

  “Your…wife? She wasn’t around?”

  He shrugged. “Diane is complicated. She was never really meant to be a wife and mother. She loves Henry, but the day-to-day parenting thing wasn’t something she could do. We divorced when he was two, and I’ve had full custody of him since then. He sees his mom a few times a year.”

  That sounded…strange. Cassie couldn’t imagine just handing over her child and moving on with her life, but Ace didn’t seem to think there was anything wrong with it.

  “I’m sure you’re a great dad.”

  “I try my best to be. Henry’s a great kid when he’s not trying to fix me up with women on the internet.”

  For a moment, Cassie wondered what Henry would think of her. Would he want his father taking her to lunch?

  Stop. You’re not looking for a relationship.

  For the first time that evening, they seemed to have run out of things to say. It was her fault, of course. She’d brought the conversation to an abrupt halt by saying no. Most men didn’t like that, although Ace didn’t seem perturbed in the least. He was currently sipping his whiskey and gazing out onto the silvery water.

  “I really am sorry.”

  He turned, his brows pinched together.

  “Are you apologizing for dropping your drink on me again? Because it wasn’t your fault. Seriously, I don’t care about the shirt.”

  Was he playing at being obtuse?

  “No, I mean about…lunch.”

  “It’s fine, Cassie Abbott. I hope my ego isn’t so fragile that I can’t handle being turned down.”

  “I doubt you get turned down often.”

  The words had practically jumped out of her mouth. She’d definitely had too much wine.

  “I don’t ask often. I mostly work and until recently spent my free time with Henry. Now he’s a teenager and he wants to spend time with his friends. I don’t blame him. Hell, I didn’t think my parents were cool when I was his age either.”

  Her wine glass was half empty but drinking the rest of it was a bad idea. Already she was saying things she didn’t mean to say. Time to end the evening.

  “I should probably go inside. It’s getting late.”

  She stood and he did as well. It was a little awkward, and she wasn’t sure what she should say or do. Fleeing back to her room without a backward glance would be weird. He’d been far too nice to treat him that way.

  “Thank you for all of the business advice,” she said. “It was really helpful.”

  He smiled easily. “In the morning, I’ll make a call to my friend who knows that designer. She can look at your work and tell you if they’re any good, maybe give you some feedback.”

  Cassie took a step back, gobsmacked by what he’d said.

  “You’re still—I mean…you’re still going to call her?”

  He appeared puzzled at first but then his expression cleared. “You mean because you don’t want to have lunch with me? I didn’t offer to help you to get you to go out with me, Cassie. I offered to help because I wanted to. No strings attached.”

  “Oh.”

  In Hollywood, that attitude had been…sparse. Few and far between. Most people had been out for themselves.

  “We can just be friends.” He held out his hand. “No romantic entanglements. Just friendship.”

  He was totally serious. He didn’t have any expectations.

  Maybe I should have said yes to that lunch.

  No, it’s not the right time. Not even for a man like him.

  She reached out and clasped his hand. They shook on it.

  No romance. Just friendship.

  Why am I not happier?

  Chapter

  Five

  The next morning Cassie was in the elevator when her phone went off. Her sister. Again. She’d been ducking their calls all day yesterday but she wasn’t going to get away with it much longer. Her family was the very definition of persistent.

  I might as well get this over with.

  Stepping out of the elevator, she ducked into a small hallway off the lobby to take the call. With any luck, she’d be able to finish this phone call in less than five minutes.

  “Hello, Trinity.”

  There was a growl on the other end of the line.

  “I’ve been calling you since yesterday morning. We thought you were dead or something. Mom and I were going to call the police if you didn’t answer this time.”

  “You didn’t hear from me for one day and you assumed I was dead? You don’t think that’s a tad dramatic?”

  Cassie shouldn’t have said what she was thinking out loud, but it seemed like the older she got, the less patience she had with her family. She felt terrible about it, but sometimes she couldn’t help the words that jumped out of her mouth. She loved her parents and sister, but on days like this? She didn’t like them very much.

  “Dramatic?” Trinity screeched so loudly that Cassie had to pull her own phone away from her ear. “You won’t think we’re dramatic when you’re kidnapped by a serial killer and chopped up into little pieces.”

  So many times Cassie thought that her sister should have been the actress.

  “If I’m dead then I won’t think about anything at all,” Cassie replied with a sigh. “Can we move on from this? What’s going on? What did you need to talk about?”

  There was a small silence before Trinity answered.

  “Nothing specific. We wanted to talk to you.”

  Conversations like these made Cassie want to slam her phone against a wall. Repeatedly.

  “You just wanted to chat? There must be a reason you called.”

  Another pause.

  “Since you mentioned it, I overheard Mom and Dad talking about some medical bills. They don’t want to ask you for the money, but I thought you should know about it. I know you’ll want to do the right thing and help.”

  Money. In a way, it was a relief. At least this call wasn’t to browbeat her into submission so she’d go back to acting. They’d been bugging her about that subject pretty much every single week for the last year and a half - when they weren’t harassing her about not visiting enough, wasting her life and talent, or getting back together with Michael and giving them a few grandchildren. They only called about money about a half a dozen times a year. She considered that a win.

  “What about the insurance? What are the bills for?”

  “Mom went to the emergency room for one of her migraines. And they don’t have insurance anymore,” Trinity replied in an impatient tone.

  “When did they lose their insurance?”

  Cassie hadn’t heard about any of this.

  “If you were around more, you’d know. Dad quit his job six months ago. They were being awful to him. Everybody was mean so he had to leave.”

  “He hadn’t even been at that job a month then when he left.”

  “You want him to stay at a job where he’s miserable?”

  Yes. Yes, I do. Does that make me a bad person? Probably.

  Cassie’s dad had never held down a job for more than six months - at least that she could remember. Perhaps when she was younger he had, but he wandered from job to job always telling them that everyone there was “mean” and “unreasonable”. When she was a child she’d believed him, always on his side, but as she’d grown older his stories didn’t quite sound like an abused employee.

  “If Dad quit six months ago, why hasn’t he found another job?”

  “He’s not getting any younger. He should be retired by now.”

  Her father was in his early fifties, and in excellent shape. He went to the gym every day. His doctor said that he was healthy as a horse.

  “Is Mom working then?”

  “No. Why would she work?”

  Her sister seemed genuinely confused by Cassie’s question.

  Do I dare ask? Do I even want to know if Trinity has a job?

  No, I don’t want to know. I don’t want to open that can of worms.

  “Just send me a copy of the bill and I’ll pay it.”

  It was easier than arguing.

  “It would be better if you just sent cash.”

  Cassie couldn’t see how that would be better, but then she was often confused by her family’s idea of logic.

  “Send me a copy of the bill,” Cassie repeated. “And I’ll pay it.”

  “That’s too much of a hassle,” Trinity said. She sounded perturbed. “Can’t you just transfer the money? Ten thousand should be enough.”

  “How much is the bill?”

  Cassie was getting tired of these word games where she’d ask a question and her sister would pretend she’d answered. But she hadn’t.

  “It’s around that amount. Can you transfer the funds? Can you do it today?”

  Out of the corner of her eye, Cassie saw her ex Michael walk by with another woman, presumably just off the elevator. He must have arrived sometime last night. She was going to have to deal with this situation whether she wanted to or not. Better to just get it over with. She’d walk into the hotel dining room with her head held high. The fact of the matter was that she had nothing to be ashamed of. She hadn’t done anything wrong.

  “I’ve gotta go. Send me the hospital bill.”

  Cassie quickly ended the call, shoving her phone back into her purse. It was already buzzing again, but she silenced it, not wanting to go another couple of rounds with her sister. Or worse, her mother, who was far more skilled at the whole guilt thing. But then she’d had years to perfect her technique.

  She rounded the front desk but the clerk there waved her down, running after her so that he was breathless when he caught up to her.

  “Ms. Abbott, I’m so glad I caught you.” He held up a gift box. “I was just about to have this sent up to your room, but here you are.”

  The box was gold in color with a dark blue bow. Her name was written on a card tucked into the ribbon in an unfamiliar handwriting. She didn’t have a clue who might have sent it, which only served to remind her that she still didn’t know who had sent her flowers yesterday. None of her friends in attendance at the party last night had taken credit, not that she’d asked everyone.

  She didn’t like this at all. Anonymous gifts? It was too much like… She didn’t even want to think it, to be honest.

  She accepted the box reluctantly, not sure how this person was expecting her to react. By the large smile on his face, he was thinking that she should be thrilled. She used to be an actress. She could probably muster up an acceptable expression of happiness.

  “Thank you. Do you know who dropped it off here at the front desk?”

  “It was one of those messenger services.”

  Great. The purchaser hadn’t shown their face. Again.

  “Thank you,” she repeated. “I appreciate you taking care of it until now.”

  “It was no bother. They only dropped it off about fifteen minutes ago.”

  The young man turned and left her alone with the still unopened gift.

  Shit, I might as well open it. It’s not ticking or anything.

  A diamond bracelet. The expensive kind.

  It glinted in the overhead lights, taunting her as it sat nestled in its black velvet nest. She didn’t even want to pick it up, instead tossing it over her shoulder and never looking back. A thousand bad memories crowded her mind as she stared at it.

  Is it starting again? Did it ever really stop?

  There were more than a few things over the last few years that she’d tried to explain away logically. She hadn’t wanted it to follow her. She’d wanted a fresh start.

  “Wow, that’s gorgeous.”

  Cassie had been so lost in thought she hadn’t heard Alicia come up behind her. Her friend had plucked the box out of her hands and had lifted the shiny bracelet out, holding it up to the light.

  “It’s so pretty. Was it a gift?”

  “I think it’s a mistake.”

  Alicia held the bracelet over her wrist, admiring the jewels. “Hell of a mistake. No one has ever made a mistake like this for me. It has your name on the card. Who is it from?”

  “I don’t know.”

  Cassie had tried to answer Alicia’s question as impassively as she could, as if anonymous gifts were an everyday occurrence and not strange at all.

  Alicia frowned at the bracelet and then at Cassie. “You don’t know? You must know. People just don’t go around buying expensive tennis bracelets for strangers.”

  Sighing, Cassie placed the bracelet back in the box. “I don’t know. For real. You saw the card. There is no sender information.”

  Alicia’s eyes narrowed. “Someone sent you a diamond bracelet but you don’t know who it is?”

  “That’s correct.”

  “Not even an inkling?” Alicia pushed. “Come on, you must have some idea. It’s diamonds, Cassie. Have you been seeing anyone? Maybe a neighbor who is too friendly? What about the producers of Midnight Blue Beach? They’ve been trying to woo you back to the show for months.”

  That was true, although she couldn’t imagine why they wouldn’t sign the card. They’d want her to know who sent the gift. Right?

  It was, however, a good enough explanation to distract Alicia from asking more questions.

  “That has to be who sent it,” the bride went on. “And the flowers too. They’re trying to get you to come back. I wonder what they’ll send next. Maybe a car.”

  Cassie had made good money on the show and she’d invested it well. But…she’d never seen anyone get a car or jewels from a show’s producers to get them to come back. It was pretty well-known in most acting circles that “Midnight Blue Beach” was happy to replace any actor or actress if they became too demanding or a diva. The producers assumed the audience would get used to the new person playing the character eventually. Replacements weren’t a big deal.

  Alicia had to know that too, but she seemed pretty set on her version of events. Cassie wasn’t going to discourage it.